WILSON, Wyo. — First responders were dispatched to a controlled burn that had grown out of control south of Wilson on Tuesday afternoon.
Jackson Hole Fire/EMS, Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF), Teton County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) and Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) personnel were alerted to a controlled burn that had escaped containment between Buck Road and Fall Creek Road around 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Callers to 911 reported that the fire was moving quickly through dry grass and had reached about an acre in size by 4:05 p.m.
“We’re still in that pre-green-up phase when things are going to burn,” Fire/EMS Deputy Chief Brian Coe told Buckrail. “From the location of where the controlled burn was, it looks like it got up into some trees and allowed for the spread over Fish Creek where the embers could travel.”
When the battalion chief arrived on the scene at 4:22 p.m., the newly named Buck Drive Fire was estimated to be 2 to 3 acres in size, actively burning in grass, willows and several conifer trees, per Fire/EMS. Weather conditions were conducive to the fire’s spread: temperatures around 60°, relative humidity of 22% and southwest winds gusting up to 25 mph.
Thirteen Fire/EMS personnel used three engines and a water tender to contain the fire, which was not immediately threatening any nearby structures. Teton Interagency Dispatch had been alerted to the situation, and the TCSAR helicopter was ready to be deployed to drop buckets of water on the fire, which was ultimately deemed unnecessary. A BTNF engine and Teton Interagency Fire personnel also participated in extinguishing the fire. A TCSO drone and pilot performed aerial reconnaissance.
The fire was considered contained by 5:28 p.m., and crews tackled hot spots before departing the site at 6:35 p.m. The burn area reached 3.1 acres in size. In its news release about the fire, Fire/EMS noted that warm, dry conditions in the region have made local vegetation “highly vulnerable to ignition, allowing fires to spread rapidly in any area lacking snow cover.”
“We’re probably 6 weeks ahead of where we normally would be at this time of year, and that’s because of the funky winter without a lot of valley snow,” Coe told Buckrail. “We usually get a fire or two in the end of March, beginning of April time frame before we start seeing the fuels start to green up. We’ve kind of been predicting that for a little while. … We’re hyper-aware, and even at the state level they’re anticipating above-normal fire conditions for this time of year.”
Any county resident considering a controlled burn (outside of town limits) is urged to use extreme caution and to adhere to the following requirements:
- Dispatch must be called and notified every day the fire will be burning. The phone number is (307) 733-2331.
- The burn pile must be at least 50 feet from any structure or combustibles, including cars and vegetation.
- A responsible person must be present and attending the fire at all times. Dispatch requests a cell phone contact number for that person.
- There must be a method to extinguish the fire at the burn site. That can be a garden hose connected to a water supply, one large or multiple fire extinguishers, or equipment to move dirt, sand or snow.
- All open burns must be conducted during daylight hours, and mornings are suggested because wind typically picks up during the afternoon.
- If the wind is blowing, do not burn. Fires must be put out if wind is blowing more than 10 mph.
